Still at the helm,Gareca’s influence remains palpable. That isn’t so much a slight on Australia’s Graham Arnold,who remains just one win away from World Cup qualification and finished no lower in the group than his predecessor,but the Argentinian has managed to find success through adversities,shielding the national team from the fractures of the country’s domestic game.
As impressive as that is,it doesn’t make them unbeatable. Peru have been inconsistent on the road and have never travelled further for a qualifier. By contrast,the neutral venue of Doha has been the Socceroos’ home away from home - they’ve played two qualifiers there that were meant to be in Australia if not for travel restrictions. They know the climate and they’ve flourished in it,too. Tuesday’s 2-1 win over the UAE maintained their perfect record in Doha.
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Carillo and Lapadula are dangerous forwards and would be licking their lips watching some of the space Australia offered UAE winger Harib Al-Maazmi on Tuesday morning. But Australia can rightly say they’ve faced better this campaign,particularly in Japan’s Liverpool forward,Takumi Minamino.
Peru won’t sit back like the UAE did will look to outplay Australia. The advantage for the Socceroos is that will leave space open for them to strike on the counter. Australia have pace,athleticism and renewed confidence after Wednesday’s morning’s triumph. Importantly,they also have players in form,none more so than match-winner Ajdin Hrustic.
And while they haven’t completely distanced themselves from the negative narrative surrounding football on the home front,if they snare just one upset in neutral territory,it will be Peru,not Australia,conducting a post-mortem on the woes of their domestic league.